Moscow to Summon Romanian Envoy After Russian Diplomat Expelled Over Drone Incursions

Moscow has announced plans to summon Romania's chargé d'affaires in the Russian capital, reports Interfax. The diplomat, Liliana Burda, is scheduled to be summoned on Thursday, though the Russian Foreign Ministry has not officially confirmed the reason for her summoning as of publication.

This development comes exactly a month after Romania declared a Russian diplomat persona non grata, following a series of drone incursions into Romanian airspace. In response, Romania recalled its ambassador to Russia for consultations and summoned Russia's Ambassador in Bucharest, Vladimir Lipayev, to view fragments of a drone destroyed over Romanian territory.

The Russian Foreign Ministry had stated on July 27 that the Romanian side had made it clear that responsibility for these "illegal and irresponsible actions" lies with Russia, emphasizing that the violation of Romanian airspace was "absolutely unacceptable and intolerable."

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Romania has reported multiple breaches of its airspace. The Romanian military has shot down three drones, believed to be of Russian origin, between July 24 and July 26. Romania, situated next to Ukraine, has experienced numerous airspace violations since the outbreak of the conflict.

The Moscow Times, a Russian news outlet, has been designated as an undesirable organization by Russia's Prosecutor General's Office, leading to criminal charges and putting staff at risk of prosecution. The outlet's founders argue that their work is impartial and aims to provide accurate reporting on Russia, despite being labeled as a foreign agent.

They insist they will not be silenced and are appealing for support to continue their independent journalism.